Deleted User
06-24-1999, 02:58 PM
Thursday June 24 5:22 PM ET
<p>
<b><font size=5>U.S. Warns N. Korea About Missiles</b></font>
<p>
<i>By GEORGE GEDDA Associated Press Writer</i>
<p>
WASHINGTON (AP) - North Korea will suffer ``very serious consequences'' if it follows up last year's test of a long-range
ballistic missile with another test launch this year, a State Department official said Thursday.
<p>
Assistant Secretary of State Stanley Roth told a gathering at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, that any such
test would have a negative impact on relations with the United States, Japan and South Korea and could alienate China.
<p>
Roth said China is believed to oppose North Korea's missile development program because it could encourage nearby
countries, presumably Japan and South Korea, to develop missile defense systems. This, in turn, could lead to a heightening of
tensions in the region.
<p>
North Korea caused alarm in the region last year when it tested a three-stage rocket over Japan. A number of reports in recent
days suggest that U.S. intelligence agencies believe that North Korea is preparing to test a missile of longer range this year.
<p>
The New York Times reported that former Defense Secretary William Perry warned the North Koreans last week during a
visit to Pyongyang that the United States will not tolerate another missile launch. Perry made the visit as part of a
comprehensive review of U.S. policy toward North Korea.
<p>
Senior U.S. and North Korean officials ended two days of talks Thursday in Beijing. State Department spokesman James P.
Rubin declined to characterize the talks.
<p>
Meanwhile, North Korea said Thursday that the United States, in the aftermath of its victory in the Balkans, is building an
``armada'' off the Korean peninsula.
<p>
``The current situation in the Korean peninsula is very worrying,'' Ambassador Ri Tcheul told the 61-nation Conference on
Disarmament in Geneva. ``The aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk has finished its mission in Yugoslavia and is steaming toward the
Korean Peninsula.''
<p>
Tensions escalated last week when a standoff in the Yellow Sea between North and South Korean warships led to the sinking
of a North Korean vessel. An estimated 30 North Korean sailors died. It was after that confrontation that the administration
decided to upgrade the U.S. military presence in the region.
<p>
An escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula is a principal worry of U.S. defense planners. It is frequently cited as an
important reason for the Pentagon to maintain a continuous military presence in the Pacific, including an aircraft carrier battle
group.
<p>
South Korean President Kim Dae-jung has been criticized for his policy of trying to ease tensions by reaching out to North
Korea.
<p>
In an interview with The Washington Post, Kim defended the policy, saying engagement with communism has been more
successful than confrontation.
<p>
``It is the nature of a Communist regime - if you try to pressure it or push it into a corner, the stronger it will become,'' Kim was
quoted as saying.
<p>
He said his efforts to achieve detente, known as the ``sunshine policy,'' are not based on naivete. ``Our combat readiness is
very powerful,'' Kim said. ``No other alternative has a chance; this policy will ultimately succeed.''
<p>
Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute said the sunshine policy has been dismissed in the state-controlled
North Korean media as ``an anti-North confrontation policy'' that should be replaced by a ``pro-North policy.''
<p>
He said North Korea is pursing a policy of ``military extortion'' through which it practices brinkmanship, then backs down only
after extracting material concessions from the West.
<p>
<b><font size=5>U.S. Warns N. Korea About Missiles</b></font>
<p>
<i>By GEORGE GEDDA Associated Press Writer</i>
<p>
WASHINGTON (AP) - North Korea will suffer ``very serious consequences'' if it follows up last year's test of a long-range
ballistic missile with another test launch this year, a State Department official said Thursday.
<p>
Assistant Secretary of State Stanley Roth told a gathering at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, that any such
test would have a negative impact on relations with the United States, Japan and South Korea and could alienate China.
<p>
Roth said China is believed to oppose North Korea's missile development program because it could encourage nearby
countries, presumably Japan and South Korea, to develop missile defense systems. This, in turn, could lead to a heightening of
tensions in the region.
<p>
North Korea caused alarm in the region last year when it tested a three-stage rocket over Japan. A number of reports in recent
days suggest that U.S. intelligence agencies believe that North Korea is preparing to test a missile of longer range this year.
<p>
The New York Times reported that former Defense Secretary William Perry warned the North Koreans last week during a
visit to Pyongyang that the United States will not tolerate another missile launch. Perry made the visit as part of a
comprehensive review of U.S. policy toward North Korea.
<p>
Senior U.S. and North Korean officials ended two days of talks Thursday in Beijing. State Department spokesman James P.
Rubin declined to characterize the talks.
<p>
Meanwhile, North Korea said Thursday that the United States, in the aftermath of its victory in the Balkans, is building an
``armada'' off the Korean peninsula.
<p>
``The current situation in the Korean peninsula is very worrying,'' Ambassador Ri Tcheul told the 61-nation Conference on
Disarmament in Geneva. ``The aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk has finished its mission in Yugoslavia and is steaming toward the
Korean Peninsula.''
<p>
Tensions escalated last week when a standoff in the Yellow Sea between North and South Korean warships led to the sinking
of a North Korean vessel. An estimated 30 North Korean sailors died. It was after that confrontation that the administration
decided to upgrade the U.S. military presence in the region.
<p>
An escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula is a principal worry of U.S. defense planners. It is frequently cited as an
important reason for the Pentagon to maintain a continuous military presence in the Pacific, including an aircraft carrier battle
group.
<p>
South Korean President Kim Dae-jung has been criticized for his policy of trying to ease tensions by reaching out to North
Korea.
<p>
In an interview with The Washington Post, Kim defended the policy, saying engagement with communism has been more
successful than confrontation.
<p>
``It is the nature of a Communist regime - if you try to pressure it or push it into a corner, the stronger it will become,'' Kim was
quoted as saying.
<p>
He said his efforts to achieve detente, known as the ``sunshine policy,'' are not based on naivete. ``Our combat readiness is
very powerful,'' Kim said. ``No other alternative has a chance; this policy will ultimately succeed.''
<p>
Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute said the sunshine policy has been dismissed in the state-controlled
North Korean media as ``an anti-North confrontation policy'' that should be replaced by a ``pro-North policy.''
<p>
He said North Korea is pursing a policy of ``military extortion'' through which it practices brinkmanship, then backs down only
after extracting material concessions from the West.